Joe’s Pub Hosts Night of a Thousand Genders

On Monday, Dec. 2, The Gender & Family Project welcomes Olympia Dukakis, Justin Vivian Bond, Telly Leung, Our Lady J, Lance Horne and more to "A Night of a Thousand Genders." The special one-night-only event will take place at Joe’s Pub, and raise funds for the Project’s services for families of gender non-conforming youth at home and in schools.

"I am thrilled to be able to lend my support to Gender & Family Project Benefit. Growing up trans would have been less difficult for me and so much easier on my family if we’d had an organization such as this to turn to for help," said Tony Award nominee Bond, of "Shortbus" and "Kiki and Herb: Alive on Broadway" fame.

Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actress Dukakis of "Moonstruck" will serve as the host for the evening, which will feature performances by Bond, "Glee" star Leung, and Our Lady J, with musical direction by Emmy-winning composer Horne.

"The Gender & Family Project holds the key to our future by providing gender nonconforming youth with the support they need to rise above the historic adversities and challenges our community faces on a day to day basis," said Our Lady J.

The Project empowers families of gender nonconforming and transgender children and adolescents by offering affirmative clinical services, professional training and community building. GFP also promotes gender inclusivity as a form of social justice in all the systems involved in the life of the family. With the alarming rates of LGBT youth suicide, projects like these can mean the difference between life and death for these youth.

"New York City can do better for its gender nonconforming youth. The best kind of protection for transgender and gender nonconforming kids is to be accepted and celebrated by their families and caregivers," said Gender & Family Project Director Jean Malpas. "The Gender & Family Project is here on the ground to support these families and communities. We are dedicated to helping NYC schools become the safe and gender inclusive environments all children need."

Co-sponsors for the event include Delta Air Lines, Logo TV, and the Ackerman Institute for the Family with Stephen Schwartz as Event Honorary Chair and Jane Miller Rennert as Event Chair.

Since 1960, the Ackerman Institute for the Family has achieved international prominence and earned national awards for the development of innovative models of family therapy, professional training, and community programs for families facing major life challenges. One of the first training institutions in the United States committed to promoting family functioning and family mental health, Ackerman is dedicated to helping families at all stages of family life.

"A Night of a Thousand Genders" will be held from 6:30-9 p.m. on Monday, December 2 at Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St. in New York City. For information or tickets, visit www.nightofathousandgenders.com

Winnie McCroy is the Women on the EDGE Editor, HIV/Health Editor, and Assistant Entertainment Editor for EDGE Media Network, handling all women’s news, HIV health stories and theater reviews throughout the U.S. She has contributed to other publications, including The Village Voice, Gay City News, Chelsea Now and The Advocate, and lives in Brooklyn, New York, where she writes about local restaurants in her food blog, http://brooklyniscookin.blogspot.com/